Perfectly cool and ready for those exams?

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Only a month to go and you need to be ready for your exams! Exams are more the rule than the exception if you are studying at Mawson Lakes campus. Here exams can be do or die: worth up to 70% of your grade. If you want to take them in your stride start planning now.

What do you need to do?

1. Find out everything you can about how exams at done at UniSA: the practical stuff about dates, venue, rules etc
   
2. Make sure you know the focus of your exams: see your Course Information guide, lecture notes, past papers, ask in tutorials
   
3. Develop your revision schedule and make it work for you
   
4. Feed your brain: keep active and healthy
   
5. Set weekly as well as longer term goals
   
6. Meet all your goals and get the grades you want.

Workshops and exam resources are available to support you as you prepare for your exams. Visiting School helpdesks (for example Maths or Java ) are an excellent way to improve your understanding of the challenging concepts in your course.

Success is within your reach if you get organised now!

Helen

Responding to Lucy from Carolyn

It was great to read Lucy’s story about studying with dyslexia especially when as a Disability Adviser I know there are likely to be other students who have experienced similar issues. Sometimes students, just like Lucy, may not think about disclosing or even know what services or organizations might be able to help.

I thought it would be timely to look at some of the services and adjustments that may be helpful if you are studying with dyslexia.

The first step is to develop an Access Plan that outlines any Reasonable Adjustment you may need. These adjustments are based on you supporting documentation.

Software

Adaptive technology suites (ATS) are available at all UniSA Libraries. These suites (which are in private rooms) have large monitor computers, an A4 scanner, printer and specific software designed for special writing needs. Read and Write Gold, for example, includes features such as enhanced spelling and grammar checking, word prediction and screen reading.

Another software program students with dyslexia may find useful. is Dragon Naturally Speaking. This assists you to write essays and emails and even explore the web through voice command.

Both Read and Write Gold and Dragon Naturally Speaking are available to purchase through Spectronics.

Exam adjustments

Exam adjustments may also be required for some students based on their supporting documentation. This could include additional time and the use of a computer.

Tips and resources

Some students with dyslexia also find it useful to record lectures and listen to them later in the privacy of their own home. Keep in mind, though, this can be quite a time consuming task.

In addition UniSA's services, I recommend looking at:

• Speld (SA) Specific Learning Difficulties
• Opening all options

If you would like to know more about the services available please contact me at Learning Connection.

Carolyn Donlan

Disability adviser

Small glitch

Further to last week's post, Learning Connection @ Mawson Lakes is still sending out some old posts. We are working on the problem and will still post some great study tips and advice, but you won't receive an email until the problem is fixed.

While we hope you've enjoyed reading all the great posts via the archives, we realise that some of them are a bit dated now so sorry for any inconvenience.

Stay posted!

Andrea (on behalf of the Mawson Lakes Learning Connection blog team)

Lucy shares her perspectives on studying with dyslexia

Andrea Duff and Carolyn Donlan speak with Lucy, First Year Engineering student about succeeding at Uni with dyslexia. Lucy - who describes her dyslexia as 'severe' - was first diagnosed when she was in year 11.

Lucy - how did you know you had dyslexia?

I struggled with reading and writing a fair bit (I was three to four years behind my reading age group). I needed the official diagnosis for extra time in exams.

I didn't want to get tested because I thought it didn't matter either way. Either I had it or not - it wouldn't make any difference. I already knew it was going to take me extra time. After the diagnosis, some of the help was pretty degrading. Some teachers made me stay back (in year 11!) writing particular words 10 times.

Family history is also a good indicator. If you have difficulties you can get tested so you can get extensions.

How - if at all - does dyslexia impact on your studies?

I know what my strengths are. I might be slow in English but I'm good at Maths. Plenty of people who don't have dyslexia are not good at Maths!

You can't complain about having a disability when you don't know what it's like to not to have it.

It's hard to tell how it impacts, but there are some signals. For example, in Physics you might read a question but when you go back you realise you don't understand it.

And your advice to other students?

Focus on your strengths - realise what the strengths are. Realise that's what you'll do best.

Organisation is the key and I try and complete my work a week before the deadline to avoid stress. If something goes wrong at the last minute I have a week's leeway. By doing this, you're not making yourself more busy, just doing things in a different order. It gives you a lot of time to check it.

I use Word spellcheck a fair bit but it's sometimes a problem like when you write a word and the spell check doesn't know exactly what it's meant to be. Computer spell checks are OK for stupid mistakes.

Also, it's sometimes useful to tape what you want to say and then type it.

Finally...

It's all about determination. If you really want to do well, you'll find a way to do well.

If you are keen to improve your quality of work, finish your assignments before they are due.

Where is my motivation?

Have you been finding it hard to get to classes, begin your assignments, do your research? You are not alone. This is the time when students sometimes find it hard getting out of bed let alone doing the reading, thinking, writing, calculations, designs etc for your next assignments!

Sue Lintern

At Mawson Lakes Learning Connection we have wondered about possible reasons for students' lower energy for study at this time.

Some of the discussed possibilites incuded:

• 'change of weather to cooler temperatures and greyer skies' (Helen J)
• 'enthusiasm from starting a new study period has lessened' (Andrea D)
• 'there is some the hard work looming' (Sue L)

What do you think?

Whatever the reasons the lost motivation is probably not under your bed! It is however worth you doing a search for your motivation because finding it will make your study over the next few weeks much easier. Ideas for finding motivation include:

• Write down your long term goals


• Find some friends to study with


• Keep/get physically fit


• Update your Study Planners and Weekly Timetables (include time for study, work, recreation, family, friends etc)


• Reward yourself after you have completed a study task (Yes -frequently)


• check out 'Finding motivation to study'

What ideas have you found that work for you?

Email us with your suggestions and we will add them to this blog.

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